Lily's Bieber Fever Part 1

My fantastic niece, Lily, got to go to the Justin Bieber concert in Des Moines earlier this month. Lily, like most 11 year olds, loves all things pop culture. She knows every word to every song on popular radio and often introduces me to what is hip (which I am not:). Her mom, Andrea, drove Lily to the concert and then dropped this nugget of surprise in her lap:

Lily's Bieber Fever Part 2

Lily was clearly jazzed about this surprise. They waited in line with about 25 other girls for the meet and greet. There were no cameras or autographs allowed. How lame is that? The professional photographer took a picture of Lily with Justin and gave Andrea the website so she could download it. It turned out that Andrea had to pay $40 to even get on the website, and the picture wasn't even on there. She is still waiting (patiently or not) for the proof that her dreams came true that day. Lame.

Here is the video that Andrea sneaked of Lily and the actual meet. Warning: This video is not for those with the dizzies. Andrea wasn't even allowed to have her camera on, so this operation was very covert.

My favorite part of this video is watching Lily wipe the tears away. When is the last time you were this passionate about anything?

God Parties

In case you are curious about what is happening at the Owens house every single day lately, I will fill you in. Judah is hosting God parties. God parties are lots of fun, let me tell you. First, Judah chooses an aspect of God's creation for which he is thankful. Then, he holds a "team group time" with Mayah and Liam, where they plan out the party for about ten seconds. Next, comes the decorating. Judah puts up stickers and other random items that he deems appropriate. Finally, we celebrate.

We had a thunder party yesterday. We all sat in Judah's room while he turned the lights on and off and on and off and on and, you guessed it, off. Today we are having two parties. Today we are celebrating that God made the sun and...wait for it...ghosts. Thank you, God, for ghosts.

My Summer Journey

I have recently been made aware of the The Modern Library's Best 100 Novels List. I haven't read a good book in forever, so I decided to look this bad boy up and take on the challenge. I am going to begin with the Reader's List for the mere fact that I have read more books from this list. I don't have any goals for when I want to have this finished. I just want to get it done. I dragged my poor, boiling children to the library in the ridiculous heat today to check out my first book.

The Top Ten:

1. ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
   
2. THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
3. BATTLEFIELD EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
6. 1984 by George Orwell
7. ANTHEM by Ayn Rand
8. WE THE LIVING by Ayn Rand
9. MISSION EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
10. FEAR by L. Ron Hubbard

I didn't have much luck at the library.

I have read Atlas Shrugged. It is, in fact, my favorite book, and I was quite pleased to see it at the top of the list. I read Atlas Shrugged four-ish years ago because it looked like a challenge. Have you seen this book? It could kill a small child.

I have also already read The Fountainhead and loved it. I read this book last summer when I was on a mission to finish all of Ayn Rand's works. This was absolutely worthy my time.

I wanted to begin this adventure with Battlefield Earth, starring John Travolta...I mean by L. Ron Hubbard. I have zero interest in reading this book or any book by this founder of Scientology, but I will tough it out. I mean, the guy has three books in the top ten. He can't be THAT terrible. All three of these books were checked out at the Ames Library. Apparently, Ames has a large science-fiction-nerd following. Hubbard will have to wait for my attention.

Next on the list: Lord of the Rings. I didn't borrow this book because we own it, but now I don't know where it is. Man, this summer journey is going really well, eh?

To Kill a Mockingbird: We read this book in seventh grade. I considered tackling it again, but it was checked out. I will read it again someday...maybe later on this journey.

1984: I have read 1984 a few times. I read it in my Individualized Reading class when I was a junior in high school. I read it again last summer because Will had borrowed the movie from the library, and it again piqued my interest. It's an alright book. I didn't hate it. I don't need to read it again.

Anthem: I read this last summer, too. Eh. Not my favorite from Rand. It was a lot like 1984, actually...society has fallen...men work for everyone else...one man wants to break the mold and have a thought. I would have been annoyed to read these books back to back.

We the Living: I loved this book. I read it last summer and was up late into the night to finish it. I remember weeping on my couch around 2am when I was finally finished. Yep...I'm that kind of nerd.

We are back to Mr. Hubbard. I will look for these books when I go back to the library.

So, what the crap am I reading?!? I went down to #11: Ulysses by James Joyce. Apparently this book was extremely controversial back in the day and was banned from being printed in any English speaking country until 1934. I will begin it tonight when the kids are in bed. Let the journey begin!

Little Fry

Judah had his first experience as a camper at Camp Quaker Heights. Before a child is forced to leave his mama and spend the night in a scary cabin all by his lonesome, he is offered the opportunity to stay two nights with a parent at CQH. I think it is a brilliant idea. My children will absolutely be shipped off to church camp in the summers as I am an avid camp lover, so it was fun to experience this with my boy. Little Fry is for any kid going into preschool through entering 2nd grade, so Judah was one of the youngsters. He had such a good time hanging out with the older kids and saving seats for his "camp girlfriend", Elizabeth Daleske.

Camp began at 4 pm, so after the welcome and supper, the kids had some time to explore the camp. Judah parked himself at the playground in the sand. He and Elizabeth built a city of sand and sticks. It was quite fantastic. Once it got a little darker, the staff started a campfire and provided the kids with poor man's s'mores. I am not sure I have ever had a real s'more at CQH and might actually prefer the poor man's version: a roasted marshmallow between two homemade chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm. The staff led the children in some classic campfire songs (The Great Conductor, I Love my Rooster, The Good Ole' Skunky River, My Baby Bumble Bee, Little Cabin in the Woods...) and won Judah's heart with their silliness.


Speaking of silliness, Judah was a complete goof the entire weekend. DJ Scribbles (the ragged bunny on the left) experienced camp along with Judah and got to dance on stage when Judah escaped my grip. Above is Judah's signature slide dance move. Take notes, people.

A family from Quakerdale's Wolf Ranch in Marshalltown brought horses up for the weekend for the kids to ride. Judah was pretty indifferent about the horses. He has ridden horses at Riverside and gets to feed horses on Stange occasionally, so he spent all of five minutes being excited about them. I was glad he decided to ride, though...he did agree to participate in ALL camp activities afterall. The next photo shows just how tiny my boy is with his enormous helmet. The kid leading his horse was cracking up when he got back to us because Judah was singing a made up song about his horse the entire time he rode. Always the entertainer.

Best story of the weekend: The staff had spent hours the night before the kids got to ride horses decorating cupcakes to look like horses. They were fantastic. They used circus peanuts for the heads, wafers for the necks, and lots of frosting. They even had a professional cake decorator come in and help. I didn't have my camera or I would share a photo. The last day, the staff was asking the kids what they had learned about horses. Each child had a chance to state his name and share. This is an example of the common responses:
"My name is Ian, and I learned that a horse has monocular vision."
"My name is Leah, and I learned that you should never approach a horse from the front or behind."
"My name is Tom, and I learned that you should talk to a horse as you are approaching it."
As you can see, the sharing time had a theme that everyone was following. Then it was Judah's turn:
"My name is Judah Roderick Owens. I learned that horses make great cupcakes."
Laughter ensued.


Judah and I were in a cabin with two other moms and their sons. He loved sharing a room with other boys. Each night before bed, the boys (7 and 8 years old) would climb into Judah's bed and listen to a bedtime story. Most of the stories Judah came up with were about Scribbles, but he was nice enough to add their stuffed animals into the mix, too. Judah began each night out in his bed but was snuggling with me within five minutes. This mama loved her still-vulnerable little boy.



Sarah Mull, Ames dweller and babysitter extraordinaire, is working at camp this summer. Sarah's first summer as an intern was also the first summer Will and I were married. Sarah lived in our basement along with three other young ladies. She is very special to us. Judah was jazzed to be going to "Sarah's camp!"
Finally, a photo of the campers with their mom or dad in front of the chapel. I will absolutely send Judah back to camp. I'm not sure if I will give Will a shot at attending Little Fry with him next year or not. This might be something I will fight for.

Lettuce Wraps

The list of items that I can/do make for my family is pretty small and ordinary. I have recently decided to add to the ordinary and try to make things that I might actually order if I went to a restaurant. I mean, who is going to go out and order spaghetti and tator tot casserole? (Don't answer that.) My other goal in this adventure is to cook meals that are more healthy. Let's face it, I'm not going to be giving up soda or late night ice cream any time soon. I need to cut down on the calories, carbs, and fatty sugars in my cooking. My first fantastic adventure began Saturday night with lettuce wraps. I adore these wraps from The Cafe in Ames and from PF Chang's, so I went online and found a recipe to make them. I called up my friend, Krista Wrage, to assist me in this adventure, and we headed to the store.
It was phenomenal. The amount of red pepper flakes suggested made our noses run as we dined, so I recommend adjusting that if you are a pansy...just kidding...next time I will definitely not put that much pepper in. We also opted to buy prettier lettuce than iceberg. Oh, and for Will's sake, I left out the mushrooms. I am sure they are a lovely addition.

1 - 20oz pkg - Extra Lean Jennie-O Ground Turkey

1/2 C fresh mushrooms, chopped

1/2 C scallions (green onions), thinly sliced on the bias

3/4 C red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 C carrots, chopped

8 oz. can of water chestnuts, chopped

1/4 C Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 C Kikkoman Lite Soy Sauce

2 T sugar free maple syrup

2 T freshly grated ginger root

1T red pepper flakes

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 large head of iceberg lettuce

Directions

In a small bowl combine teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, syrup, ginger root, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Set aside.

In a skillet heated to med-high heat brown turkey. If needed drain, then add vegetables and sauce.

Continue cooking and stir occasionaly until vegetables are tender and sauce has reduced.

Remove the core from the head of lettuce and cut in half. Using the larger leaves as the shell fill them with the asian turkey and enjoy "taco style".

Number of Servings: Four Hearty Servings

The recipe says "four hearty servings", which means that we eat a lot. There was enough food for three of us.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 236.6
• Total Fat: 2.3 g
• Cholesterol: 56.3 mg
• Sodium: 1,333.1 mg
• Total Carbs: 17.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 4.1 g
• Protein: 37.1 g

Let me know if you try it and like it. I will absolutely make it again.